Revelry

The bullet hit 7-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella as she gazed up at the fireworks in a Manila suburb, abruptly turning a New Year's Eve celebration tragic and ultimately ending her life. The little girl died Wednesday afternoon in a Quezon City hospital, two days after the stray bullet struck her in the head and after suffering a string of cardiac arrests, the official Philippines News Agency reported . She was among about 700 people injured in raucous and often violent celebrations in the Philippines this week, the latest in a tragic tradition in a country where police have tried to clamp down on celebratory gunfire and dangerous pyrotechnics.

SOCHI, Russia - The closing ceremony here was meant to celebrate the new face of Russia. And after a month of intense scrutiny over human rights violations, stray dogs, unfinished hotels and terrorism threats, that face looked largely relieved Sunday and perhaps a bit too exhausted to party. "We did it," Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 organizing committee chief executive, said at the ceremony. "We conquered the Olympic summit. And these Games will be with us forever - Olympics.

SAN FRANCISCO Zazzle Bay to Breakers When, where: May 15, from the Embarcadero to the Great Highway Highlights: This wildly wacky 12K run across the city is in its 100th year. Don't miss the post-race costume contest at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Cost: Registration is closed, but it's free to watch and run alongside the racers, which many attendees do. Info: (415) 359-2800, http://www.zazzlebaytobreakers.com GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.

INDIO -- Self-described “model-sociallite” Silka (no last name given) drifted across the densely populated Coachella VIP section during the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' evening set attired in a crocheted shawl, a $400 Malia Mills bikini and a pair of Marc Jacobs sneaker wedges. She was sipping discreetly at a vodka cranberry in a plastic tumbler and turning heads with every step. The New York-based native of Hungary explained she had spent the better part of two days earlier this week sifting through her wardrobe to find precisely the right ensembles for three days' worth of festival revelry beneath Indio's baking sun. “Of course I love the music but of course I want to look good,” Silka said as a male companion smiled in nodding agreement.

INDIO -- Self-described “model-sociallite” Silka (no last name given) drifted across the densely populated Coachella VIP section during the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' evening set attired in a crocheted shawl, a $400 Malia Mills bikini and a pair of Marc Jacobs sneaker wedges. She was sipping discreetly at a vodka cranberry in a plastic tumbler and turning heads with every step. The New York-based native of Hungary explained she had spent the better part of two days earlier this week sifting through her wardrobe to find precisely the right ensembles for three days' worth of festival revelry beneath Indio's baking sun. “Of course I love the music but of course I want to look good,” Silka said as a male companion smiled in nodding agreement.

"Are you an artist? You look like you need some money," said Maria de Medici, a.k.a. Julia Steinmetz, as she tucked play "donor dollars" in the blouse of a reveler at the REDCAT 'Round the Clock gala in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex.

Every year, more than 200,000 American families gather for reunions, from small nuclear-family affairs to huge roundups of distant relatives. Designated planners should know there is help out there, even if they're not getting it from their relatives. Below, a list of resources to help ensure that the gang's all there. Cast a Wide Net: Family-Reunion.com (www.family-reunion.

You missed a noteworthy component when you named the venues that USC students are patronizing in downtown L.A. ["No Helmets Required," Nov. 30]. Of the four bars you mentioned, none are frequented by SC students with any real magnitude. And after reading the comment by Daniel Ness, "We don't need to cater to them ... you don't want a bunch of frat guys spilling Jagermeister everywhere," I can see why. My partner Mark Verge and I purchased Casey's Irish Bar in 2002, long before any of the bars on your list were in existence.

The city's neon lights vibrated in the polished hood of the black BMW as it cruised up Las Vegas Boulevard. The man in the passenger seat was instantly recognizable. Fans lined the streets, waving, snapping photos, begging Tupac Shakur for his autograph. Cops were everywhere, smiling. The BMW 750 sedan, with rap magnate Marion "Suge" Knight at the wheel, was leading a procession of luxury vehicles past the MGM Grand Hotel and Caesars Palace, on their way to a hot new nightclub.

Two people were killed and 779 were injured in Italy by firecrackers, stray bullets and other means of celebrating the new year, Interior Ministry and police officials said Monday. The casualties were about average for recent years.

The bullet hit 7-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella as she gazed up at the fireworks in a Manila suburb, abruptly turning a New Year's Eve celebration tragic and ultimately ending her life. The little girl died Wednesday afternoon in a Quezon City hospital, two days after the stray bullet struck her in the head and after suffering a string of cardiac arrests, the official Philippines News Agency reported . She was among about 700 people injured in raucous and often violent celebrations in the Philippines this week, the latest in a tragic tradition in a country where police have tried to clamp down on celebratory gunfire and dangerous pyrotechnics.

When poll workers arrived at Hillcrest Drive Elementary School in Baldwin Hills at 6 a.m., eager voters were already lined up in the morning darkness. When the election was called for President Obama some 15 hours later, Crenshaw Boulevard erupted in a joyful blast of honking horns. If 2008 was about history-making and hope, here in the heart of middle-class, black Los Angeles, 2012 was about practicality and pride. Getting to the White House was one thing. What the first African American president accomplished there was quite another.

Coachella off-site parties are now as important as the event itself to many L.A. attendees, especially as they shift away from heavy-handed corporate branding and zero in on club culture. Yes, this year we still saw Brent Bolthouse's Armani Exchange Neon Carnival, the crocodile-branded Lacoste party and fetes from Guess and Chevy motors, but other L.A.-area promoters and DJs are bringing a different kind of heat. Coachella's first weekend saw more club-like parties at events by DJ Anthony Giancola (booker at club Harvard & Stone)

Partying until daybreak, flying the red eye, cramming all night for an exam - these are just a few reasons for skimping on beauty sleep. And rarely in these circumstances is there the luxury of taking the next day off to nurse oneself back to happy, radiant wellness. No, life often requires suiting up for work, school or something as nerve-racking as the first meeting with the significant other's family. But there are ways to minimize the pain. Or at the very least, to fake it by looking fabulous through the magic of makeup or by having a restorative treatment.

Hidden at the back of Bar Marmont , the Chateau Marmont's exclusive boîte , is a lavish private dining room drenched in crimson hues, with a vaulted ceiling papered with vintage ads, a large wooden table and chairs and an attractive smoking patio. Late on a recent Thursday, the drag queen Constance Cooper sits on this patio with style journalist Rose Apodaca and a few other friends, drinking a glass of white wine and playfully discussing the sorry state of the modern young party crowd.

SAN FRANCISCO Zazzle Bay to Breakers When, where: May 15, from the Embarcadero to the Great Highway Highlights: This wildly wacky 12K run across the city is in its 100th year. Don't miss the post-race costume contest at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Cost: Registration is closed, but it's free to watch and run alongside the racers, which many attendees do. Info: (415) 359-2800, http://www.zazzlebaytobreakers.com GRAND JUNCTION, COLO.

Vancouver, Canada Nov. 25-Dec. 24: Grouse Mountain resort has its usual pleasures: snow play and sitting by the big fireplace in your ski togs with a mug of something warm. But during the Peak of Christmas, the price of admission gets you some cool extras: an 8,000-square-foot outdoor ice-skating pond, Santa and real-McCoy reindeer, sleigh rides, carolers and Christmas cartoons at the Theatre in the Sky. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. $29.95, ages 13-18 $16.95, ages 5-12 $10.95, 4 and younger free.

Party animals beware: Newport Beach may soon declare open season on wild revelers and their hosts. City police have proposed a new ordinance restricting "loud and unruly gatherings. " The law, modeled after one in Tucson, would allow city officials to fine partygoers up to $8,000 for repeat violations. Police and some residents have, for years, tried to tame partiers here, especially those who overtake west Newport on the Fourth of July. The new law would discourage rowdy gatherings and make the city more "family friendly," proponents say. "We would like to see stricter enforcement and less second chances," said Councilman Steve Rosansky, who represents much of west Newport.

After several salt baths, the snails still were not dead. Plump and apparently unfazed, some had even made a break for it, latching on in crevices between the kitchen cabinets, along the sides of the bucket that held them and on the floor. Dinner might have to be late. Eric Causse was preparing a meal of fresh escargot for the village women. It was the third day of the annual fete locale , or traditional village fair, for this medieval hamlet in southwestern France, and the women deserved a treat.